Other Sunday and Holy Day Readings
16th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Cycle C)
Readings:
Genesis 18:1-10a
Psalm 15:2-4a, 5
Colossians 1:24-28
Luke 10:38-42
Abbreviations: NJB (New Jerusalem Bible), IBHE (Interlinear Bible Hebrew-English), NABRE (New American Bible Revised St. Joseph Edition), IBGE (Interlinear Bible Greek-English), or LXX (Greek Septuagint Old Testament translation). CCC designates a citation from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The word LORD or GOD rendered in all capital letters is, in the Hebrew text, God's Divine Name YHWH (Yahweh).
God reveals His divine plan for humanity in the two Testaments, and we read and relive the events of salvation history contained in the Old and New Testaments in the Church's Liturgy. The Catechism teaches that the Liturgy reveals the unfolding mystery of God's plan as we read the Old Testament in light of the New and the New Testament in light of the Old (CCC 1094-1095).
The Theme of the Readings: Hospitality
Hospitality is a form of charity. St. Benedict (c. AD
480-550) wrote in his Rule of Order, a book of precepts for the monks of
the Benedictine order, that they should receive the stranger as they would
welcome Christ Himself. We follow that rule in our Christian faith communities
when we welcome all visitors regardless of race or nationality. The inspired
writer of Hebrews (who is believed to have been St. Paul) warned, Do not
neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels
(Heb 13:2). That advice is the subject of the First Reading and the Gospel Reading
that deal with offering hospitality and welcoming the stranger who is
God/Christ Himself.
The First Reading presents the appearance of three visitors at Abraham's tent as a mystery. In speaking with the visitors, Abraham sometimes addresses them in the singular as one person and then in the plural as if they were three persons. The Church Fathers interpreted this visitation as an early revelation of the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. In the encounter, one of the three men, revealed as Yahweh ten times, speaks to Abraham directly, just as He spoke to Adam before his fall from grace. God brings the announcement of the fulfillment of a covenantal promise He made to Abraham concerning the blessing of numerous descendants. Yahweh informs Abraham of the future miraculous birth of a son to his barren wife, Sarah. Abraham's hospitality and the amazing message foreshadow the announcement by another heavenly being of the birth of the true Son of the promise, Jesus the Messiah, son of David, son of Abraham (Gen 18:1-15; Mt 1:1; Lk 1:26-28), and the world-wide blessing He brings to humanity in His gift of eternal salvation.
Abraham is the symbol of the righteous man who dwells in the presence of God described in the Responsorial Psalm Reading. The special relationship Abraham enjoyed in God's presence is also available to Christians who strive to live righteously in the image of Christ Jesus and seek an intimate relationship with Him in their lives.
In the Second Reading, St. Paul wrote that through the Sacraments and the Church, Jesus extends His life into the world. What Jesus did in His physical body, He continues to do throughout history in the continuing mission of His mystical Body, the Church. The sufferings experienced by members of His Body, like St. Paul and others, contribute to the Church living out Christ's life by uniting the afflictions of Christians for the sake of the Gospel to Christ's suffering for humanity's redemption. Paul concluded that our invitation to Jesus to enter into our lives gives us the hope of eternal glory.
In the Gospel Reading, Jesus enjoyed the hospitality of the sisters Martha and Mary of Bethany. The reading contrasts two kinds of service to the Lord: service in love of neighbor and service in love of God. Martha's service was the customary hospitality offered to an honored guest, but her sister's service was sitting at Jesus's feet, attentive to God's Word. Jesus taught the sisters that while demonstrating the love of a "neighbor" is worthy, it cannot be more important than loving God expressed by hearing and being obedient to the Word. The spiritual work of hearing God's word builds a personal relationship with Him, and it must take precedence. When we extend our hospitality to God by inviting Him into our hearts and making Him first in our lives, then the love we express in that relationship will flow from us out to the world in our acts of love and mercy for our neighbors in the human family.
The First Reading Genesis 18:1-10a ~ The Visitation of the
Lord to Abraham
1 The LORD [Yahweh] appeared to Abraham by the terebinth
of Mamre, as he sat in the entrance of his tent, while the day was growing hot.
2 Looking up, Abraham saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he ran
from the entrance of the tent to greet them; and bowing to the ground, 3 he
said: "Sir [Adonay = My Lord], if I may ask you this favor, please do not go on
past your servant. 4 Let some water be brought, that you may bathe your feet
and then rest yourselves under the tree. 5 Now that you have come this close to
your servant, let me bring you a little food that you may refresh yourselves;
and afterward, you may go on your way." The men replied, "Very well, do as you
have said." 6 Abraham hastened into the tent and told Sarah, "Quick, three
measures of fine flour! Knead it and make rolls." 7 He ran to the herd, picked
out a tender choice steer, and gave it to a servant, who quickly prepared it. 8
Then Abraham got some curds and milk, as well as the steer that had been
prepared, and set these before the three men; and he waited on them under the
tree while they ate. 9 They asked Abraham, "where is your wife, Sarah?" He
replied, "There in the tent." 10a One of them said, "I will surely return to
you about this time next year, and Sarah will then have a son."
[...] = literal Hebrew/English translation, Interlinear
Bible Hebrew-English, vol. I, page 38.
When God called Abraham to leave Haran and come into the land of Canaan, He made a three-fold covenant with Abraham, promising him land/a kingdom, numerous descendants, and a worldwide blessing (Gen 12:1-3; 15:5, 18-19; 17:4-8; 22:15-18). Abraham had a son with his wife's servant Hagar (Gen 16:1-4, 15), but he did not have a child with his wife, Sarah. The events recorded in Genesis Chapter 18 took place shortly after God told Abraham that his barren wife, Sarah, would bear a son at this time next year (Gen 17:21); verse 18:10a repeats that promise to Abraham: "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah will then have a son."
1 The LORD [Yahweh] appeared to Abraham by the terebinth
of Mamre, as he sat in the entrance of his tent, while the day was growing hot.
2aLooking up, Abraham saw three men standing nearby.
The passage begins by identifying God by His Divine Name, Yahweh.
He appeared with two other "men" as Abraham sat in front of his tent. Verses
1-33 mention "Yahweh" ten times (Gen 18:1, 13, 14, 17, 19 twice, 20, 22, 26, 33);
therefore, there is no question that one of the three "men" is God.
After God promised Abraham all the land he could see from the height of Bethel (Gen 13:14-17), Abraham moved his tents, flocks, and herds to settle at the grove of the Amorite, Mamre, near Hebron, where he built an altar to Yahweh (Gen 13:18). Abraham was a chieftain whose wealth was in his herds and flocks of animals. Twice a year, it was necessary to move his animals from pastures in the hill country to fields in the Negev; Abraham lived the life of a pastoral semi-nomad. In this part of the narrative, Abraham was again settled at the same grove of trees near Hebron when he saw "three men" standing near him; that the "three men" were "standing near him" as he sat by his tent was the equivalent of knocking on his door. Notice that it is Abraham who initiates the invitation of hospitality. The inspired writer tells us immediately that it is Yahweh who appeared to Abraham by the terebinth trees (plural) of Mamre (Gen 18:1). Verse 1 is the third mention of the "terebinth/trees of Mamre" (Gen 13:18; 14:13; 18:1), and the thirtieth time the Divine Name appears in the Abraham narrative that began with the Divine Name in Genesis 12:1.
Abraham looked up and saw three men standing near him while the day was growing hot. Verse 1 probably identifies noon as the time of the day. The three "men" approached Abraham's tent when people sought shelter from the day's heat and usually ate the day's main meal. Like all men whose lives are regulated by the conditions of the natural world, Abraham's year was divided by the seasons and his day by the movement of the sun: dawn, noon, the cool of the day (afternoon), and sundown that marked the end of one day and the beginning of the next.
2b When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent
to greet them; and bowing to the ground, 3
he said: "Sir" (in Hebrew, Adonay = "My Lord").
Running to greet his visitors, Abraham recognized the
manifestation of the Lord God Yahweh and addressed the men in the singular as
"My Lord" instead of in the plural "My Lords." Abraham will not use the
plural form for the three visitors until verse 10; then, the singular form is
reintroduced and used continually through verse 15.
The Genesis narrative appears to identify the three men as Yahweh accompanied by two other "men" who are messengers/angels (Gen 19:1, 15). However, some of the Fathers of the Church (especially the Eastern Fathers) saw the visitation of the three "men," one of whom is Yahweh in human form, as a manifestation of the Most Holy Trinity (The Navarre Bible: Pentateuch, page 104). They saw the Trinity as present and active in the announcement of the miraculous birth of the child, Isaac, destined to carry the "promised seed" of God's covenant people forward in salvation history (Gen 3:15; Mt 1:1-2) and whose birth and later sacrificial offering foreshadows the Annunciation and sacrifice of the Redeemer-Messiah (Gen 22:2; Lk 1:26-38; Heb 11:11, 17-19). The famous ancient icon of "The Three Visitors" represents Abraham's visitors as God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Throughout the narrative, Abraham addressed the three men in both the singular, as though they were one person (as in Gen 18:3), and in the plural (as in Gen 18:4-5), as though they were three different men. How is it that Abraham was able to recognize he was witnessing a manifestation of God? In John 10:27, Jesus said when you walk with God and live a blameless life before the Lord, you immediately recognize Him when He calls to you: The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
Bowing low before the Lord, a sign of respect, Abraham identified himself as the Lord's servant. God appearing in a visible human form and accepting the hospitality of a man will be repeated in the Gospels when God the Son, fully human and fully divine, eats and drinks with saints and sinners. "Because Abraham believed in God and walked in his presence and in covenant with him, the patriarch is ready to welcome a mysterious Guest into his tent. Abraham's remarkable hospitality at Mamre foreshadows the annunciation of the true Son of the promise. After that, once God had confided his plan, Abraham's heart is attuned to his Lord's compassion for men, and he dares to intercede for them with bold confidence" (CCC 2571).
The words in the narrative identify the quickness of Abraham's response to offer hospitality (see Gen 18:1-8; underlining added for emphasis):
Abraham said: 4"Let some water be brought, that you [plural] may bathe your [plural] feet and then rest yourselves under the tree. 5 Now that you [plural] have come this close to your servant, let me bring you a little food that you [plural] may refresh yourselves; and afterward, you [plural] may go one your [plural] way." It was the custom to provide water for guests to wash their feet; it was one of the respectful signs of hospitality (also see Lk 7:38-44, Jn 13:5-16, and 1 Tim 5:10). Abraham's concern for the comfort of the visitors is a typical depiction of Middle Eastern courtesy: washing away the dust of the journey, providing hastily baked cakes of what was probably unleavened bread loaves, milk in two forms, and roasted meat.
Notice the repetition of the number three: three visitors and three measures (seah) of flour. The use of "threes" in the Biblical narrative points to something of importance and an event that will impact salvation history; for Christians, it is also the number of the Trinity. The text records that the flour used to make the bread measured three seah. A seah was a measurement equivalent to two gallons or eight liters of grain. Three seah was the equivalent to 6 gallons/24 liters of flour for bread, a superabundant amount for just three visitors, suggesting that this was not an ordinary visit nor ordinary visitors. The visitors ate the meal outside the tent under the tree while Abraham stood nearby to attend to their needs.
9 They asked Abraham, "where is your wife, Sarah?" He
replied, "There in the tent." 10a One of them said, "I will surely
return to you about this time next year, and Sarah will then have a son."
The Visitors asked Abraham, "Where is your wife, Sarah?" It
was a rhetorical question because God, knowing everything, knew that Sarah was
in the tent. Keeping the covenant promise He made to Abraham concerning descendants
(Gen 12:2; 15:4-5, 18; 17:1-7, 15-19), God announced that Sarah would give
birth to a son next year. The promise God made to Abraham in Genesis 15:4, as
well as the covenant commitment in Genesis 17:16-19, had escalated to being identified
as a specific event. The miraculous birth of a son to Sarah in her barren old
age was only one of many miraculous births in Scripture and pointed forward in
time to a miraculous birth that would forever alter the course of human history:
the birth of Abraham's descendant, Jesus of Nazareth (Mt 1:1).
Responsorial Psalm 15:2-4a, 5 ~ On How the Righteous
Dwell in the Lord's Presence
Response: "He who does justice will live in the presence of
the Lord."
2 One who walks blamelessly and does justice; who thinks
the truth in his heart and slanders not with his tongue.
Response:
3 Who harms not his fellow man, nor takes up a reproach
against his neighbor; 4a by whom the reprobate is despised, while he honors
those who fear the LORD.
Response:
5 Who lends not his money at usury and accepts no bribe
against the innocent. One who does these things shall never be disturbed.
Response:
Psalms 15 is the first in a series of Psalms of entreaty that end with Psalm 24. The dominant theme in the series is the Temple and the conduct and prayers of those who go there to worship Yahweh (Ps 24:3). This psalm, attributed to David in the superscription, defines the virtues of the person who seeks God's Presence: they must be a person who fears God and walks blamelessly by doing what is right and just. The values and lifestyle of such a person must be the exact opposite of evildoers who, in their sins, have turned away from God. The psalm lists ten requirements (verse 4b is missing from our reading) that address honorable and righteous conduct towards others (verses 2-5):
In Scripture, the number ten is one of the so-called "perfect numbers," symbolizing the perfection of divine order (see the chart, "The Significance of Numbers in Scripture." The ten moral requirements in verses 2-5 can be seen as how one establishes righteous conduct in governing one's life in a relationship with God and the other members of the human family.
5a Who lends
not his money at usury and accepts no bribe against the innocent.
In the Old Testament, lending money was often seen as
assistance to the poor in distress and not as an investment. Making money off
the poor by charging them interest was forbidden
(Ex 22:24; Lev 25:36-37; Dt 23:20).
5b One who does these things shall never be disturbed.
The person who lives in justice according to the acts of
virtue listed in verses 2-5 is pleasing to the Lord; therefore, their life is
on sure ground, and that person will walk in peace with God.
The requirements listed in Psalm 15 are reflected in Jesus's command for Christians to love one's neighbor as oneself (Mt 5:43; 19:19; 22:39; Mk 12:31). It is a command Saints Paul and James repeated in their instructions to Christians (Rom 13:9; Gal 5:14; Jam 2:8). Jesus taught that one could not separate the love of God from the love of neighbor. Concerning Jesus's teaching, St. John wrote: If anyone says, "I love God," but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. This is the commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother (1 Jn 4:20-21, NABRE).
The Second Reading Colossians 1:24-28 ~ The Mystery of
Christ in Us
24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my
flesh, I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf
of his body, which is the Church, 25 of which I am a minister in accordance with
God's stewardship given to me to bring to completion for you the word of God, 26
the mystery hidden from ages and from generations past. But now it has been
manifested to his holy ones, 27 to whom God chose to make known the riches of the
glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; it is Christ in you, the hope for
glory. 28 It is he whom we proclaim, admonishing everyone and teaching everyone
with all wisdom, that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.
As you may recall from last week's second reading, St. Paul wrote to the church at Colossae at the urgings of their minister Epaphras to correct some false teachings introduced into the community (Col 1:7-8; 2:4, 8, 16-23). Paul began his letter by commending the community in Colossians 1:3-8, suggesting that even though they had been urged to accept false teachings, they were not yet wholly seduced into those practices.
In our reading, St. Paul expressed concern for them (1:9-14), and he shared some personal details about his ministry, telling them that his preaching of the truth of the Gospel of salvation had caused him persecution, suffering, and imprisonment. However, he regarded his afflictions as reflective of the sufferings of Christ and a required discipline of every disciple for the sake of the Gospel.
24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in
my flesh, I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on
behalf of his body, which is the Church
Paul was not implying that Christ's atoning death on the
Cross was lacking, nor was he claiming to add anything to the redemptive value
of the Cross. His point is that Jesus suffered to establish the reign of God,
and anyone who continues Christ's work of salvation must share in His suffering
in the same way that Paul associates his persecutions and afflictions in his
apostolate with the trials and sufferings of Jesus (see 2 Cor 1:15).
The same is true for us. Through the Eucharist and the other Sacraments offered through the Church, Jesus extends His life into the world. What Jesus did in His physical body when on earth, He continues to do throughout history through His mystical Body, the Church. The sufferings of the members of His Body, like St. Paul and others, contribute to the Church living out Christ's life by uniting the suffering of Christians for the sake of the Gospel to Christ's suffering for the sake of humanity's redemption.
25 of which I am a minister in accordance with God's
stewardship given to me to bring to completion for you the word of God, 26
the mystery hidden from ages and from generations past. But now it has been manifested
to his holy ones, 27 to whom God chose to make known the riches of the glory of
this mystery among the Gentiles ...
The preaching of the Word carries out God's divine plan (the
"mystery" of verse 26) to make Christ known, first to His saints (the faithful
remnant of Israel), and through them to make Christ known to the Gentiles.
28 It is he whom we proclaim, admonishing everyone and
teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone perfect in
Christ; it is Christ in you, the hope for glory.
The word Paul teaches is the God-given wisdom concerning
Christ Jesus (verse 28), whose power works through the apostle, making Jesus
present in the lives of those who believe and perfecting them through the
Sacraments. This perfection is specially infused in us through the Sacraments
of Christian baptism and the Eucharist, by which the Holy Spirit endows believers
with the very life of Christ and the hope of future glory.
The Gospel of Luke 10:38-42 ~ Jesus Visits Martha and
Mary in Bethany
38 As they continued their journey, he entered a village
where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. 39 She had a sister named
Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet, listening to him speak. 40 Martha,
burdened with much serving, came to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that
my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me." 41 The
Lord said to her in reply, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about
many things. 42 There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better
part, and it will not be taken from her."
This episode contrasts two kinds of service to the Lord: service in love of neighbor and service in love of God. The scholar who tested Jesus in Luke 10:27-28 from last week's Gospel reading correctly identified the two greatest commandments as the love of God and love of neighbor. It was the same teaching Jesus gave when questioned by the Pharisees and scribes (Mt 22:34-40 and Mk 12:28-31). Here the contrast is between Martha, the attentive hostess, and her sister, the devoted disciple.
Martha and Mary were the sisters of Lazarus, who is usually named last when his sisters are mentioned, suggesting that he was a much younger brother. They lived in the village of Bethany on the east side of the Mt. of Olives, across the Kidron Valley from Jerusalem's Temple Mount. These faithful disciples made Jesus welcomed in their home. Scripture records that Jesus loved Martha, her sister Mary, and their brother Lazarus (see Jn 11:5 and 12:1-2). The Gospels mention three times that Jesus came to visit their family:
In this story, Martha's service was the customary physical comfort offered to an honored guest, and Mary's service was in listening to the Word of God. Martha complained to Jesus that her sister was not doing her part and leaving her to do all the work. In verse 42, Jesus told Martha, "There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, and it will not be taken from her." The "one thing" was being ready and willing to hear the Word of the Lord. Jesus gently corrected Martha, telling her that while demonstrating the love of a "neighbor" was worthy, it could not be more important than the love of God expressed by listening to the Word who is Christ Himself (Jn 1:1, 14). Priority must be given to hearing the Word (Lk 8:15, 21); the spiritual work must take precedence! Jesus was breaking with the conventions of His times in what He told Martha. In saying that the better choice was hearing the Word, He was saying that a woman's place wasn't always "in the kitchen;" she was equal to men in her obligation to hear and understand the Word of God. St. Paul later wrote to the Christians of Galatia: There is neither Jew nor Greek there is neither slave nor free person, there is no male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Gal 3:28, NABRE).
The episode in Luke 10:38-42 contrasts two kinds of service to the Kingdom: the physical and the contemplative. We need both Marthas and Marys to advance the Gospel of salvation and the Kingdom of the Church. Reflecting on this passage, we might ask ourselves several questions: How are the Marthas valuable to the Kingdom of Christ? What roles do they fill? Who are the Marys serving the Kingdom, and how do the Marthas help the Marys fulfill their service to the Church? Is there a danger in getting so caught up in the Martha service/work side of ministry that the Mary spiritual side of the service/work is lacking or lost? And finally, would you describe yourself as a "Martha" or a "Mary?
Catechism References (* indicated Scripture is either
quoted or paraphrased in the citation):
Genesis 18:1-10a (CCC 706, 2571*)
Colossians 1:24 (CCC 307*, 618*, 1508); 1:27 (CCC 568, 772)
Luke 10:38-42 (CCC 1822-23, 1889*, 1974, 2074*); 10:34 (CCC 1293*)
Abraham's hospitality (CCC 2571*)
Welcome the stranger (CCC 2241)
Contemplation (CCC 2709-2711, 2712*, 2713*, 2714*, 2715-2718, 2719*)
Sharing in Christ's sufferings for the sake of His Body ( CCC 618*, 1508*)
"The hope of glory" in the Church and her Sacraments ( CCC 568, 772*)
Michal E Hunt, Copyright © 2013; revised 2022 Agape Bible Study. Permissions All Rights Reserved.